The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) registered a healthy gain in January, driven by improvements in the same-store sales and customer traffic indicators. The RPI – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 101.1 in January, up 1.0% from a level of 100.1 in December.
Same-store sales and customer traffic readings rebounded from December’s softer levels, although January’s results were buoyed by dampened year-ago comparisons. Looking forward, restaurant operators remain cautiously optimistic about business conditions in the coming months.
The Current Situation Index, which measures current trends in four industry indicators, stood at 100.5 in January – up 1.4% from a level of 99.2 in December. The healthy increase pushed the Current Situation Index back above 100 into expansion territory, with January representing the component’s highest reading since September 2023.
The Expectations Index, which measures restaurant operators’ six-month outlook for four industry indicators, stood at 101.7 – up 0.6% from the previous month. The RPI’s Expectations Index stood above 100 for the fourth consecutive month, which signals a positive outlook for business conditions in the months ahead.
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